IBM Opens Electronics Innovation Center at Tokyo Research Lab

Industry Leaders Collaborate With IBM to Deliver Breakthrough Innovation.

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, NY - 02 Feb 2006: IBM today announced the opening of a new innovation center as an extension of the company’s Tokyo Research Lab. The new IBM Electronics Innovation Center will bring together real-world marketplace experience with IBM Research’s electronics industry expertise to deliver differentiating innovation in the turbulent electronics industry.

Brand erosion, high cost structures, and variable demands create multiple challenges for today’s electronics companies. In fact, IBM marketplace research shows that the average electronics company is delivering profit margins that average near 3 percent. The electronics industry is in a major transition stage as manufacturers explore new markets and business models to create new differentiating value.

Early work with clients such as Matsushita, Samsung and SANYO has begun in the IBM Electronics Innovation Center. “The role of our 8 research facilities around the world is increasingly to be at the center of collaborative innovation between market leaders,” said Cathy Lasser, Vice President Industry Solutions and Emerging Business, IBM Research. “Our worldwide labs have their fingers on the pulse of industries that are rapidly expanding right in front of them. These insights give IBM a unique head start in driving innovations that we can then share with our industry customers anywhere in the world.”

Recently, researchers from IBM Tokyo Research Lab and Matsushita held several technical exchange sessions focused on the future convergence of consumer electronic devices and information technology. These exchanges have led to collaborative work on a study for the development of advanced service delivery models.

IBM and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. intend to develop and deploy innovative solutions to end-users through the use of advanced information technology. Collaboration with IBM Research to improve consumer lifestyle electronics devices is a key part of Samsung Electronics’ initiative to build leadership in the digital convergence age.

IBM and SANYO have been collaborating in the energy management field for over a year and are exploring several areas of joint research, including solution development using technologies provided by each of the research and development organizations.



About IBM
IBM is the world’s largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. Drawing on resources from across IBM and key Business Partners, IBM offers a wide range of services, solutions and technologies that enable customers, large and small, to take full advantage of the new era of e-business. For more information about IBM, visit www.ibm.com

Contact Information

Steven Tomasco

IBM Media Relations

IBM

Contact via E-mail